Stop the spread
Home gardeners and property owners can help in the fight against Queensland fruit fly by undertaking a few simple actions.
Essential strategies for home gardeners with a fruit tree or vegetable patch include:
- monitoring through trapping
- regular inspection of fruit
- use of baits and netting
- pick fruit early or as it ripens
Extra care required in hot spot areas
The Goulburn Murray Valley regional trapping grid has identified fruit fly pressure across the region and provides essential population tracking data.
Current urban Queensland fruit fly hot spots include the following locations, with extra vigilance required in these areas:
- Shepparton • Mooroopna
- Kyabram • Merrigum
- Nagambie • Avenel
- Numurkah • Yarrawonga
- Cobram • Barooga
Optimum conditions for fruit fly
La Niña and the summer rain associated with the weather event has provided ideal conditions for Queensland fruit fly numbers to expand, resulting in increased fruit fly pressure throughout the region.
Further fueling the likelihood of increased fruit fly numbers is the severe shortage of pickers as a result of covid restrictions and the inability of pickers to enter Victoria, which has forced some growers to leave fruit on their trees.
Home gardeners and property owners across the Goulburn Murray Valley should remain on high alert for fruit fly activity and take action to minimise the impact of the pest.
Free tree removal program
The removal of unmanaged fruit trees eliminates a potential breeding ground and helps protect the region against fruit fly. Property owners with fruit trees they no longer want or find difficult to manage, can apply to have them removed free of charge through the Free Fruit Tree Removal Program.
The program has seen the removal of unmanaged fruit trees and plants from orchards, private residences and public areas such as nature strips, roadsides, channel banks and reserves.
Collect an information pack from your local participating Council and complete and return the tree removal form to have your unwanted fruit tree removed.
